Rachel Garlinghouse. Courtesy Rachel Garlinghouse When I lost weight, became easily fatigued, and had blurry vision, I didn’t know what was going on. I went to five healthcare professionals, and they didn’t know what was wrong with me either.
My husband rushed me to the ER, and bloodwork showed I was dealing with Type 1 diabetes. I wasn’t surprised when I fell ill with a stomach virus over Thanksgiving break in 2005. I’d been working nonstop for the past six months to earn my master’s degree.
In addition to taking two grad-school classes — both in the evenings — I was teaching an entry-level writing class to mostly college freshmen. Thanksgiving was the first break I’d had in months. I thought I’d bounce back quickly, as I always had.
But I didn’t gain back the 5 pounds I lost during my illness. Despite eating thousands of calories a day — and consuming much of those in the form of juice to quench my incredible thirst — I continued dropping weight. I went from a size 6 to a size 00 in about six months.
The symptoms began to add up with seemingly no explanationI also began to experience chronic sinus infections that never completely cleared up, even with strong antibiotics. I went to the doctor each time, leaving with the same diagnosis and a new prescription. My symptoms progressed.
I began feeling depressed about my weight. I bought padded bras to make up for the breast tissue I was losing and layered all my clothes to appear bigger than I was. My classmates and my students whispered about me, and professors looked at me with increasing concern.
The strategic wardrobe I’d started wearing wasn’t fooling anyone. My general practitioner gave me a referral for a dietitian. I was excited to see her, hoping she would offer me some answers.
Instead, she told me to eat more calories, and I wasn’t sure how I would manage that. Despite being very thin, weighing under 100 pounds on my 5-foot-8 frame, I was usually bloated from all the juice I was drinking. Around this time, I also had my annual eye exam.
The doctor handed over my prescription, and I chose new glasses and ordered contact lenses. However, when I received them, my vision was still blurry. I returned to the doctor multiple times, complaining that I couldn’t see well.
He grew exasperated with me, as much as I grew exasperated with him. I also decided to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist for my sinus infections. This appointment was not only expensive but pointless.
I left with no answers and more dismay. I saw 5 medical professionals and got no answers. I was starting to lose hope.
I grew increasingly depressed and wondered what was wrong with me. I remember lying in my bed one night, looking at my wedding photo. We both looked so happy and healthy, and now I was wasting away, and no one seemed able to help me.
My feet were also numb much of the time, but I figured it was from my long walks across campus. I was also weak and required daily naps. I also remember a few nights I would wet the bed.
I had to urinate frequently, of course — I was guzzling water and juice. I visited my GP again. It was my 18th appointment in a year and a half.
He said I was either a hypochondriac or anorexic, and he sent me on my way. Then I saw my gynecologist. She looked at me and told me she thought I needed a specialist.
I left, exhausted, and took a nap on my couch. My phone was ringing — my husband and I usually had a check-in call during the day — but I didn’t hear it. The next thing I knew, he was putting me in our car and driving to the emergency room.
It was there, after several blood draws, that I got a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. My blood sugar was seven times as high as the norm, and I was in diabetic ketoacidosis. The doctors told me I was very lucky to be alive, as my body was in a state of toxicity.
I was dying. I finally had a diagnosis: Type 1 diabetesType 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body stops making insulin, a life-sustaining hormone. Each medical professional I’d seen had evaluated me based on the scope of their specialty, missing the big picture.
Common symptoms of the onset of Type 1 diabetes are blurry vision, chronic thirst, urinary issues, weight loss, mood changes, and more. These can be mistaken for symptoms of other common illnesses, like a urinary-tract infection, depression, or an eating disorder. Undiagnosed Type 1 diabetes can quickly become deadly.
If my husband hadn’t taken me to the emergency room when he did, I wouldn’t be alive today. Medical professionals and everyday people need to know the symptoms of Type 1 diabetes and act accordingly — and quickly. Doing so may just save a person’s life.
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From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/i-went-to-5-doctors-before-i-was-diagnosed-with-type-1-diabetes-2022-11
